Spanish-language reporter facing deportation gets asylum

By ADRIAN SAINZ
Associated Press

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — A Spanish-language reporter who had been facing deportation since his arrest while covering an immigration protest in Tennessee has been granted asylum in the U.S. In a phone conversation with The Associated Press, Manuel Duran said an immigration court in Memphis granted him asylum, four years after he was arrested while doing his job for a Spanish language news outlet. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement had said Duran was taken into custody because he had a pending deportation order from 2007 after failing to appear for a court hearing. Lawyers sought asylum, arguing that conditions had worsened for journalists in El Salvador and he could be in danger if returned.